Chris Christie's Presidential Run: The Man of the Hour Won't Run So Stop Asking

Upon assuming office January 1, 2010, Governor Chris Christie catapulted to the top of national headlines. Taking on the teacher’s unions in New Jersey, Governor Christie has proved himself as a force to be reckoned with. Overwhelming in presence and principle, he’s a fan favorite for the potential GOP presidential nominees yet to declare he’ll be throwing his hat into the ring. To say he’s been “called” to run for the GOP presidential nomination is an understatement.

But could he, would he, should he? To answer, you need look no further than the first two questions.

Could He?

The most crucial factor in a potential Governor Chris Christie bid for the GOP nomination is that of money. The issue of campaign funding is always an uncomfortable issue for voters, but it is arguably the most important factor in whether a potential candidate should even get into a race. We’ve already seen one candidate – Tim Pawlenty -- bow out of the race early because he didn’t know how he was going to pay his staff the next week. Some think it’s too late for Christie to get into the race because he may not be able to raise the cash he needs to compete with the current front runners. But notorious donors such asKenneth Langone (Founder of The Home Depot), Paul Singer (who manages a $17 billion hedge-fund), David Koch (Koch Industries), and Roger Ailes (Fox News) among others would be more than willing to shell out big money to see Christie win the nomination. Raising a competitive amount of funding would be a lot of work, but with his following it’s not impossible.

The second crucial factor is his largely unknown stance on most other issues outside of those dealing with labor. When Christie first came on the scene, I myself was enamored with the breath of fresh air Christie brought with his direct and honest way of speaking. But as most of us would agree, it takes more than ideas and smooth talking to lead the country.

What about the specifics? Here’s the cliff notes of what we know......

Under the leadership of Governor Chris Christie, New Jersey has balanced two budgets in the face of a $13 billion deficit working with a democratic majority in the New Jersey legislature, exemplifying his ability to bring people in and along during tough times.

What supporters need to keep in mind is that the hurdles Christie has had to overcome to bring compromise in New Jersey would multiply at least 50-fold as President and that, while Christie’s style works for New Jersey, it may not be replicable when he has to consider the special interests of all those involved in a deeply partisan Congress.

Right now, folks across the country love Christie for his straight-talking, no-nonsense crusade against the teacher’s unions of New Jersey. But campaigning across the country to win the party’s primaries nationally is a completely different ball game, and Christie has already said he wasn’t going to pander to the party’s base which is what the primaries are all about (seeRudy Giuliani).

Would He?

Since he started his crusade to take on the toughest hurdles facing New Jersey, followers have encouraged Governor Christie to run. This has been met withunrelentless denials and refusals by Christie. The most important to note are his numerous statements that he doesn’t feel it in his heart to run for President. Christie likes where he is, and for the better of the state of New Jersey, seems like a man who genuinely became involved in politics because he was interested in correcting what he saw as the most detrimental issues facing New Jersey. For whatever reason, it doesn’t seem as though Christie has the “fire in the belly” to take on tackling those same issues nationally.

Where there is no will, there is no way. And according to Christie, there is no will.

Should He?

With that being said, Governor Christie shouldn’t run for President. Any potential Commander-in-Chief should have a passionate desire to not just run, but lead. Governor Christie has not only acknowledged, but asserted that it’s not his interest. Based upon his body of work, he has the two most important traits necessary in a good President, proactive leadership and compromise. But one year in office does not make one fit or ready to lead a country. What we know is that we like Christie’s honesty, we like his relatively moderate, yet assertive approach to the issues, and we like his ability to get results. But acting as the leader of the United States is very different.

Put simply, Governor Christie hasn’t been in office long enough, nor has his body of work and accomplishments been diverse enough for Americans to expect Christie to run and lead as President the same way he’s lead New Jersey. That’s not to say he can’t or won’t in the future, but to ask that of him right now is unfair.

Many stories surrounding a potential Christie run claim this is the perfect time for him to run. They claimed the same when President Barack Obama ran, and we’re now facing the Great Recession. That’s not to say I blame President Obama completely for our economic woes. Rather, it is to say that the rate at which the situation has gotten worse may have been slower or recovery may have been quicker had Obama gotten more experience under his belt before running for office. That is to say, with more experience Obama may have a better ability to bring Congress in and along to solve the debt problem.

Governor Christie shouldn’t run because supporters think he can win -- this is a concept lost on too many. Those thinking of running for any office should run because they want to lead, and they have the experience to do so.

Right now, Christie wants to lead New Jersey, and we should all let him do so in peace.